The ARPANET Shuts Down - 1990

"Connecting all the world’s computers was my goal. It has happened."
- Larry Roberts, 3/21/13
The ARPANET became slow and outdated; in 1990 it formally shut down. Because it was a small part of the now larger network, the shutdown went unnoticed. The network outgrew the ARPANET.
It was the first, and being first, was best,
But now we lay it down to ever rest.
Now pause with me a moment, shed some tears.
For auld lang syne, for love, for years and years
Of faithful service, duty done, I weep.
Lay down thy packet, now, O friend, and sleep.
- "Requiem for the ARPANET," Vinton G. Cerf
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The NSFNET in 1991. The NSFNET formed the backbone of the Internet.
"The ARPANET eventually came to become the Internet as we added more and more networks to that basic network. It launched decades of important development, research, industrial expertise, et cetera."
- Leonard Kleinrock, 3/13/13
The ARPANET completed its task. It spurred an international interest in computer networking.